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You know the feeling: your arm crooked into a crevice, the screwdriver barely long enough to reach, and the clatter of a screw slipping down to the floor. Save yourself the pain next time by turning your screwdriver into a long-lasting magnet.

Steps

Method1

Using a Magnet

1

Choose a strong bar magnet. The stronger the magnet, the easier it will be to magnetize the screwdriver. Ideally, find a neodymium magnet or other rare-earth magnet with a pull force of at least ¼ pound.[1] These are available at hardware stores or online.

If you don't mind destroying an old hard drive, you can disassemble it to get two strong magnets.[2]

2

Wipe the screwdriver clean. Remove any grime from the screwdriver. If you need to use a damp cloth, dry the tool thoroughly afterward.[3]

3

Slide the magnet from the handle to the tip. Touch one end of the magnet to the metal surface of the screwdriver, next to the handle. Drag it down to the tip. This causes small magnetic regions (domains) in the steel to align in the direction of the magnet's field.[4]

On a large screwdriver, magnetize the half closest to the tip instead of the whole tool.

4

Repeat this motion in the same direction. Take the magnet off the screwdriver, then drag it from the handle to the tip again. Repeat this several times, using the same end of the magnet each time.

Do not drag the magnet back from the tip to the handle. This will undo your work.

5

Rotate and repeat. Rotate the screwdriver by a quarter turn. Drag the magnet from handle to tip again several times. Repeat with the third and fourth sides of the screwdriver.

6

Test the screwdriver. If the screwdriver can't pick up a screw magnetically, repeat the process. If it still doesn't work after ten passes on each side, try again with a stronger magnet.

A hard steel screwdriver can stay magnetized for months. If you'd like to demagnetize it, run the magnet back the other way (tip to handle), or whack the screwdriver against the wall a few times to scramble its magnetic domains again.[5]

Method2

Using a Battery

1

Strip the insulation from both ends of a piece of wire. Cut off a piece of wire at least 3 ft. (0.9m) long, then strip about an inch (2.5 cm) of insulation off each end.

Thinner insulation enables stronger magnetization. Enamel-coated wire gives the best results.[8] To strip the enamel off the ends, rub the wire with 220-grit sandpaper.[9]

2

Coil the wire around the screwdriver. Wrap the wire tight around the screwdriver shaft ten to twenty times. You can double back for a second layer if the screwdriver is too short, but don't reverse the direction of the loop. (For example, you can move left—right—left along the screwdriver, but make sure to wind every loop clockwise.) Tape the wire in place if necessary.

3

Attach the wires to a household battery. Attach the wire ends to the terminals of a 6V or 9V battery. The current flowing through the coils will create a magnetic field, which in turn magnetizes the screwdriver.

Using higher voltage batteries is not recommended unless you have experience handling them safely. Anything more powerful than a 9 volt battery only needs to be connected for a split second to magnetize the screwdriver.[10] Wear insulated gloves to protect from shocks and sparks.

4

Disconnect the battery. The screwdriver will always be magnetic while connected to the battery, but the wire and battery terminals will heat up quickly.[11] Disconnect the battery after 30 to 60 seconds, then try to pick up a screw with the screwdriver. In most cases, it will still be magnetic.

If the screwdriver loses its magnetism after the battery is disconnected, wrap a few more loops of wire and try again.

Community Q&A

Tips

If you don't have a magnet or a battery, you can weakly magnetize a screwdriver using nothing but a hammer![12] Tape the screwdriver down so the tip points to magnetic north. Strike it with the hammer many times. This jostles the magnetic domains enough to line up with the earth's magnetic field.

The screwdriver will become less magnetic over time. Dropping the screwdriver or hitting things with it will demagnetize it more quickly.

Warnings

Some electronic components can be damaged by magnets. A magnetized screwdriver is usually not strong enough to cause issues, but use it at your own risk.

To magnetize a screwdriver with a battery, start by stripping the insulation from the ends of a piece of wire. Then, wrap the wire around your screwdriver 10-20 times. Once the wire is around the screwdriver, attach the ends of the wire to a 6V or 9V battery. You should then wait 30-60 seconds for the current flowing through the wire to create a magnetic field before you disconnect the battery and use your newly magnetized screwdriver. Alternatively, you can get a strong bar magnet and drag it in the same direction along every side of your screwdriver to magnetize it. To learn what kind of wire works best and how to strip it before you magnetize your screwdriver with it, read on!

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This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Together, they cited information from 12 references. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 140,675 times.

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Co-Authored By:

wikiHow Staff Editor

Co-authors: 12

Updated:

Views: 140,675

94% of readers found this article helpful.

18 votes - 94%

Click a star to add your vote

94% of people told us that this article helped them.

EL

Ernestas Liubarskij

Mar 20, 2017

"I had a screwdriver that would not pick up screws. This made disassembly of TVs for repair much more difficult. This article helped me to magnetize my screwdriver. Pictures helped as well. Now I can easily pick up screws using my screwdriver. I learned something new, very useful."..." more

Rated this article:

CR

Christopher Rice

Feb 8, 2017

"Now I know that a low-power battery is more than enough to make as strong a magnet as I need. And I know that if I let a hot bar (at its Curie limit) cool in the field, it will be even more permanent."..." more

RJ

Ray Jones

Dec 4, 2017

"I used a 12 volt battery and connecting to neg. first and touching pos. worked best. Be sure your screwdriver is of good quality steel or it won't hold the magnetism very long."..." more

DH

David Humphrey

Nov 22, 2016

"wikiHow seems like a good source for do-it-yourselfers. Very explicit instructions and supporting pics."

PJ

Pat Jr.

May 17, 2016

"The little screw from my glasses fell out and this was a great idea."